aztec_totem_pole.jpg (click the link to the left to veiw the picture)


Aztec Totem Statue


This artifact is of the many sculptures made by the Aztecs. However, this one specifically was used as a religious item. Many Aztecs worshiped figurines resembling the one of above. A sculpture such as this, was made from either stone or a mixture of stone and clay. The Aztecs would work for days to chisel the face into the rock. The totem statues often resembled a god or a victim of a religious sacrifice.
http://www.aztec-indians.com/aztec-art.html (section: “Aztec art and Sculpture”)


Drought in the Amazon
Scientists are alarmed by the decreased moisture percentage in the Amazon, beginning in 2010. They reason they are on edge is because; if all the CO2 is realized from the wood due to the drought, global warming could be increased and the O-zone layer will shrink from the growing hole in the center of it. The grave effects of the 2010 drought were also noticed in decreasing water levels of the Amazon River, and other bodies of water surrounding.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/amazon_drought.html


Society
Many of the South American cultures depended on crops and livestock for food. In order to grow the crops, many farmers – specifically the Anasazi – built canals and dams to supply their crops with water for growth. Another technique adopted by the Aztecs was Slash-And-Burn. This technique involved cutting down an area of trees, then burning them to ash, and then using the ash as fertilizer